INTEGRATED RESUSCITATION
An example of a resuscitation system is that includes at least two defibrillation electrodes configured to be applied to the exterior of the chest of a patient for delivering a defibrillation shock, a source of one or more ECG signals from the patient, a defibrillation circuit for delivering a defibrillation shock to the defibrillation electrodes, a control box that receives and processes the ECG signals to determine whether a defibrillation shock should be delivered or whether CPR should be performed, and that issues instructions to the user either to deliver a defibrillation shock or to perform CPR, wherein the determination of whether CPR should be performed and the instructions to perform CPR can occur at substantially any point during a rescue.
1 . An integrated resuscitation system for guiding a rescuer through a resuscitation procedure comprising:
a defibrillation and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) assembly comprising a pair of high-voltage defibrillation electrodes and a chest compression sensor, the chest compression sensor comprising an accelerometer and associated circuitry; and
a resuscitation control unit comprising a microprocessor and associated circuitry, the resuscitation control unit configured to:
electrically couple with the defibrillation and CPR assembly,
receive and analyze one or more signals from the chest compression sensor, and
provide resuscitation prompts according to a predetermined resuscitation protocol, the resuscitation prompts comprising:
a prompt to attach the pair of high-voltage defibrillation electrodes to a patient,
a prompt to assist patient breathing,
a prompt to call an emergency medical service, and
chest compression prompts based on the analysis of the one or more signals from the chest compression sensor,
wherein the resuscitation prompts guide the rescuer through the resuscitation procedure.
2 . The integrated resuscitation system of claim 1 wherein the one or more signals from the chest compression sensor are indicative of one or more of a chest compression depth and a chest compression rate.
3 . The integrated resuscitation system of claim 2 wherein the chest compression prompts comprise one or more of a prompt to apply chest compressions to the patient, a prompt for faster chest compressions, and a prompt for slower chest compressions.
4 . The integrated resuscitation system of claim 1 wherein the chest compression sensor comprises illustrative instructions indicative of a location at which to perform chest compressions.
5 . The integrated resuscitation system of claim 1 wherein the resuscitation control unit comprises a speaker and a display.
6 . The integrated resuscitation system of claim 5 wherein the resuscitation prompts comprise at least one of audible prompts and visible prompts.
7 . The integrated resuscitation system of claim 6 wherein the audible prompts comprise voice prompts.
8 . The integrated resuscitation system of claim 6 wherein the visible prompts comprise instructions.
9 . The integrated resuscitation system of claim 1 wherein the resuscitation prompts comprise a prompt to call 911.
10 . The integrated resuscitation system of claim 1 wherein the resuscitation prompts comprise one or more of a prompt to change a configuration of at least one item of a patient's clothing, a prompt instructing the rescuer not to touch the patient, and a prompt to stop CPR.
11 . The integrated resuscitation system of claim 1 wherein the resuscitation control unit comprises a button configured to initiate delivery of a defibrillation shock in response to the rescuer depressing the button.
12 . The integrated resuscitation system of claim 11 wherein the resuscitation prompts comprise a prompt to press the button configured to initiate the delivery of the defibrillation shock.
13 . The integrated resuscitation system of claim 1 wherein the defibrillation and CPR assembly comprises illustrative instructions disposed on at least one of the pair of high-voltage defibrillation electrodes indicative of an electrode placement location relative to at least one of the collarbones of the patient and a chest centerline of the patient.
14 . The integrated resuscitation system of claim 13 wherein the resuscitation prompts comprise a prompt to attach the pair of high-voltage defibrillation electrodes to the patient according to the illustrative instructions.
15 . The integrated resuscitation system of claim 1 wherein the resuscitation control unit is configured to receive an electrocardiogram (ECG) signal from the pair of high-voltage defibrillation electrodes.
16 . The integrated resuscitation system of claim 15 wherein the resuscitation control unit is further configured to analyze the ECG signal and determine whether the ECG signal is indicative of a shockable or a non-shockable rhythm.
17 . The integrated resuscitation system of claim 16 wherein the resuscitation prompts comprise a prompt that informs the rescuer that the ECG signal is being analyzed.
18 . The integrated resuscitation system of claim 1 wherein the resuscitation control unit is further configured to receive and analyze one or more signals from the pair of high-voltage defibrillation electrodes and, based on the analysis of the one or more signals from the pair of high-voltage defibrillation electrodes, evaluate a parameter indicative of whether the pair of high-voltage defibrillation electrodes is attached to the patient.
19 . The integrated resuscitation system of claim 1 wherein the resuscitation control unit is further configured to:
receive a patient impedance signal from the pair of high-voltage defibrillation electrodes,
determine a patient impedance measurement based on the patient impedance signal, and
deliver shocks based on the patient impedance measurement.
20 . The integrated resuscitation system of claim 1 wherein the resuscitation control unit is further configured to control the pair of high-voltage defibrillation electrodes to deliver a sequence of shocks, wherein each shock has an increased energy relative to a previous shock.
21 . The integrated resuscitation system of claim 1 wherein the pair of high-voltage defibrillation electrodes comprise at least one adhesive electrode surface.
22 . The integrated resuscitation system of claim 1 wherein the pair of high-voltage defibrillation electrodes are configured for apex and sternum placement on the patient.
23 . The integrated resuscitation system of claim 1 further comprising function buttons configured to enable particular functions of the integrated resuscitation system, and further comprising light emitting devices associated with the function buttons.